TEMPE, AZ—American factories expanded at an unexpectedly fast pace in June, another sign of strength for U.S. industry. The Institute for Supply Management, a trade group of purchase managers, says its manufacturing index rose last month to 60.2, the highest level since February and up from 58.7 in May.
MUNICH—The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA has developed a mobile, smart factory called CassaMobile, reports Phys.org. This mobile unit can be used, for example, to 3D-print bone drilling guides and rework them in a milling machine before verifying their quality and sealing them in sterile packaging.
LOS ANGELES—Home furnishings maker Abbyson has expanded its AbbySky manufacturing facility in a move aimed to meet the company’s growing motion upholstery category. Furniture Today reports that the new manufacturing space is 5 million square feet, including 50 total assembly lines, a showroom and an R&D building.
BOSTON—General Electric Co. has agreed to sell its industrial gas-engine business to Advent International for $3.25 billion, according to Bloomberg.com. CEO John Flannery said Monday that the private-equity firm will acquire GE’s Jenbacher and Waukesha engine brands and manufacturing sites in Austria, the U.S. and Canada.
PARIS—The global manufacturing industry could see between $519 billion and $685 billion in value-added revenue by 2020 through smart, connected devices, per a new report by Capgemini’s Digital Transformation Institute. The report, Digital Engineering: The New Growth Engine for Discrete Manufacturers, says that while the potential returns are significant, manufacturers need to invest in digital continuity and digital capabilities to benefit.
MILWAUKEE, WI—Harley-Davidson, stung by new tariffs, said on Monday that it will shift some motorcycle production to factories outside the U.S. According to CBS News, the motorcycle manufacturer is shifting production of motorcycles heading to Europe from the U.S. to overseas factories because EU tariffs on its motorcycles exported from the U.S. have surged from 6 percent to 31 percent.
NEW YORK—Refugees in the United States, some 15 percent of whom work in manufacturing jobs, stay in those jobs longer than do other employees, according to a new study by the Fiscal Policy Institute.
WINSTON-SALEM, NC—Cook Medical has announced plans to acquire an old cigarette factory here and convert it into a new medical device manufacturing plant.
MONTGOMERY, AL—Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) recently announced that it will invest $388 million to construct a new plant to manufacture engine heads and support production of the Sonata and Elantra sedans. The investment, which will create 50 new jobs, will be spent on equipment for the engine head machining plant and updating technology in the company’s existing engine plant.
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